Our research group started to utilize 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) as a possible treatment of skin cancers in 1995. Nowadays, ALA-PDT has become one of the most popular modalities in dermatology and venereology in China. In particular, the pioneering work done by our group in ALA-PDT of urethral condylomata acminata helped Shanghai Fudan Zhangjiang Bio-Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.To obtain the regulatory approval from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) for ALA to be used in the topical PDT of Condyloma acuminatum in 2007. Since then, ALA and dermatological PDT have been rapidly developed in China. To date, ALA-PDT has been carried out routinely in over 600 clinics across China. Approved and off-label indications include condylomata acminata, acne, flat warts, photoaging, actinic kerotosis, folliculitis, extramammary Paget's disease, lichen sclerosus, and superficial skin cancers. Meanwhile, numerous research teams have been actively engaged in basic researches of ALA-PDT. This presentation will provide an overview on clinical and basic researches carried out by our group and other groups in China.
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